Your Body–Friend or Foe?

I massaged a woman yesterday who was so rushed and stressed and oh so attached to her pain!  She ran in complaining about the parking situation and she did not seem ready to lay down on a massage table and receive.

She is a former therapist at the clinic I work in so I knew her but I had never seen her in this state–

really rushed, stressed, and agitated.

Our previous time together was very limited–we’re simply acquaintances.

I must say, her energy and mine did not meet anywhere–even in the middle.

 I was calm and loving and seeing relaxation and calm and health and healing for her.

She was angry and stressed and frustrated and burdened with a chronic pain for 10 years.

She owned that pain like it was hers for good.  She claimed it and reaffirmed it and it was certainly not going to go anywhere–she made sure of that with her words and her emotions.

“I have had physical therapy, acupuncture, chiropractic, every kind of therapy and nothing even touches it–it’s just numb!”

I gave what I could as a massage therapist, but I know it was nothing near what she could receive.  Her energy is BLOCKED and she could not receive.  She couldn’t even breath, she was really and truly in a bad place.

Don’t get me wrong, I too have been attached to my ailments–searching and looking for ways to alleviate them.  Sometimes we have to look at our life though to find out what is really going on.

She was in no place to hear me, but I did ask her, “what happened 10 years ago when this began?” “Nothing, no injuries or accidents”.  “how about emotionally?”, I asked  She just affirmed,  without thinking–“Nothing”.

She isn’t ready to let it go.   Sometimes, the things that cause us the most pain just need to be let go.  Let it go.  Stop holding onto it so tight , claiming it–stop treating it as the enemy!

I remember when I first starting teaching Aerobics.

We all taught in jazz dance shoes and jumped around on cement and wood and carpet over cement.

I taught several classes per week and sometimes 2 or 3 per day.

I had SHIN SPLINTS!

I remember the nurturing spirit I had toward this injury.  I had a ledge to sit on in my shower.  I would massage my shins with the pulsating  beads of water.  I massaged and talked to my shins with love and sweetness.  After the shower, I massaged them with lotion telling them how much I appreciated their service.  That memory is so vivid–it’s as if it was yesterday but it was 30 years ago!

Yes, we need to treat ourselves and our injured body parts with love and kindness–not as the enemy!

Those shin splints went away pretty effortlessly–my body WAS serving me and responded to my loving suggestions of health and healing.

I wish that for you.  

In my morning meditation with Deepak Chopra today, he said the same, we need to treat our pain as a friend sitting next to us–“embrace her and comfort her.”   My body is my friend and I’m so glad I took the time to experience love and nurturing toward myself all those years ago because it just keeps on giving back as the years move forward!